1973: On the front page of The Daily News, a study by Memphis State University’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research concluded Shelby County would not have a majority African-American population for the next 50 years, as it did from 1880 to 1910. “If blacks in Shelby County hope to gain a stronger say in local government, it must come through working with whites in a spirit of cooperation,” said Donald E. Pursell, senior research associate of the bureau. 2010 U.S. Census numbers show 52.3 percent of the county’s population is black.

1857:James McMillan, a slave trader from Maysville, Ky., was shot and fatally wounded on the Memphis riverfront by Isaac Bolton, a slave trader angry over a previous deal in which McMillan sold him a slave whose term had ended, forcing Bolton to make a refund. Bolton, who was later acquitted, reportedly shot McMillan and then threw a knife on the floor by McMillan claiming McMillan had tried to attack him. The incident kicked off the county’s bloodiest feud, which continued after the Civil War and slavery ended.